I've been a fan of Japanese popular music for 40 years, and have managed to collect a lot of material during that time. So I decided I wanted to talk about Showa Era music with like-minded fans. My particular era is the 70s and 80s (thus the "kayo kyoku"). The plus part includes a number of songs and artists from the last 30 years and also the early kayo. So, let's talk about New Music, aidoru, City Pop and enka.
Credits
I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.
Singer Kazuko Matsuo（松尾和子）has been known among kayo kyoku fans for taking part in duets and group songs such as "Tokyo Nightclub"（東京ナイトクラブ）, her collaboration with Frank Nagai（フランク永井）. Of course, though, she has been releasing her own solo singles for years. And what I was struck by when I was poring through her discography on J-Wiki was that in 1960, she released a grand total of 11 singles...almost one a month. That's a lot of productivity and I'm wondering if she didn't end up dangerously exhausted by the end of the year.
Among that huge number of records was her 10th single from August of that year, "Saikai"(Reunion). I first heard it on a recent episode of NHK's "Shin BS Nihon no Uta"（新・BS日本のうた...Songs of Japanese Spirit）, the network's show focusing on enka and the old kayo kyoku. Just from the arrangement alone, it's quite the melancholy waltz-like kayo (the lonely clarinet helps) about a woman who has met an old flame for the first time in a while and realizes how much she loved (and probably still loves) him. The punch in the gut is probably that they can never regain that old relationship again due to other factors such as the guy finding a new lover. And the resignation in Matsuo's vocals pinpoints that.
"Saikai" was written by Takao Saeki（佐伯孝夫）and composed by Tadashi Yoshida（吉田正）, the same famous songwriting duo who came up with "Tokyo Nightclub" in 1959 for Matsuo and Nagai.
Marie-Sophie Mejan via Wikimedia Commons Harajuku in the old days
Late last night, I received an email from my friend of some 30 years' standing that he and his wife were able to make it to Japan for their vacation. Having to go through an elongated immigration process at Haneda due to some malfunctioning fingerprint scanners wasn't great but at least, they got through it and they're now enjoying themselves in Tokyo. His wife decided to torture me by sending a photo of a sumptuous tonkatsu dinner they had up in the restaurant floors of electronics emporium Yodobashi Akiba.😱
Not sure whether my friends will be visiting Harajuku during their time there. As late as my last few years living in Japan in the late 2000s, I still saw a few remnants of folks twisting the day away by Yoyogi Park. However, I think the heyday for the Takenozoku（竹の子族）dancers was back in the 1980s when they would take over the space lining the park on Sunday afternoons.
Music wasn't one to let go of any opportunities in other aspects of the pop culture zeitgeist. In fact, Toshihiko Tahara（田原俊彦）released his 9th single"Harajuku Kiss" back in May 1982 to capture the feeling of the Takenozoku back then. The melody and arrangement by Kyohei Tsutsumi（筒美京平）and Motoki Funayama（船山基紀）respectively are familiar to me since I used to hear those horns over and over on repeats of "The Best 10" and other music shows or retrospectives. Tomo Miyashita（宮下智）was responsible for the lyrics.
"Harajuku Kiss" was a huge hit for Toshi-chan as it stayed at No. 1 for three weeks straight, and it would become the 23rd-ranked single for 1982. Its first placement onto an album was later in September when it became a track on "Best of Tahara Toshihiko"（ベストオブ田原俊彦）. It was also a No. 1 hit.
Happy Monday! Today is a statutory holiday here in Canada known as National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, and as is KKP custom, we have a special Monday edition of Reminiscings of Youth.
When I first saw the music video for Joan Jett & the Blackhearts' iconic "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", it was probably through Casey Kasem's "American Top 40" show which I often saw on the weekends. And I got to see it a lot because it was such a hit; the US Billboard chart had it at the top spot (just like in Canada) for seven weeks in a row after its release in January 1982. What stood out for me was that Jett was a lady who looked like she could not only rock hard but could literally rock an opponent hard with her fists and/or her guitar, so I put her alongside the intimidating Pat Benatar. As well, "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" was pure unadulterated hard guitar rock with no jazz or pop mixed in, which was during a time filled with plenty of synthesizers. "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" ended up as the No. 3 song of the year in America and certified Platinum.
As with a number of songs that I've covered in ROY articles over the past few years, I...along with a number of other commenters...am once again surprised to hear that Jett's hit is actually a cover version of an original "I Love Rock 'n' Roll".The British rock band The Arrowsreleased this song back in July 1975 and there really isn't much of a difference in the arrangement. It was also a hard and pulsing rock tune back then as well.
Interestingly enough, the following three Japanese singles were released on the same day: January 21st 1982.
Thought it might be nice to have something with atmosphere above so I went with this AI picture of a gaslight avenue at night.
It's been a while but fellow City Pop fan Rocket Brown and I finally got to meet and talk for the first time in a few months. We were playing some telephone (or Internet) tag for a bit before we got to chat on Discord earlier this afternoon. He and his father will be having some participation at the Los Angeles Comic Con next week so I wished them well in their venture.
He also introduced some of his recent discoveries including the late musician-producer Yoshiaki Ohuchi（大内義昭）who tragically passed away nearly a decade ago in 2015 at the age of 55 due to esophageal cancer. Ohuchi already has a fairly long list on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" since he's been composing tunes for a number of other singers including Kahoru Kohiruimaki（小比類巻かほる）through songs such as "Hold On Me" and "Moving Action". He also had a hit with his singing partner, actress Miwako Fujitani（藤谷美和子）, with the 1994 "Ai ga Umareta Hi"（愛が生まれた日）.
So, though he has a loaded KKP file, he barely shows up on the byline, but allow me to rectify that for tonight at least. Ohuchi does sing and he did release five original albums between 1989 and 1996. Rocket told me about one track which leads off Ohuchi's 1990 second album"Remember Blues" and that would be "Zero de Hajimaru Number" (A Number That Begins with Zero). Writing and composing this song, it starts off with a lone elegant piano before it goes to a melody and arrangement that straddles the line between pop/rock and funky City Pop. Ohuchi's vocals are slightly raspy and whispery and they trip the light fantastic on those concrete streets before the last minute lets the electric guitar rip.
Several days ago, I received a comment regarding the Doopees'"Doopee Time", a mid-1990s example of plunderphonics using samples from the themes for "I Dream of Jeannie" and "I Love Lucy". The article itself was posted more than eight years ago, so getting that comment, I started wondering whatever happened to those Doopees.
Well, more than a decade later, the man behind Doopees, musician and producer Yann Tomita（ヤン富田）came up with a 2006 single called "Forever Yann: Music Meme 2" which consisted of four tracks starring Doopees and three other projects which involved him. The first track is Doopees' "Daijou-bu" (Everything's Gonna Be Alright) which strikes me as being the most conventionally pop track on the single according to what I've heard throughout the single with aspects of avant-garde and hip-hop. Written by hip-hop musician Kan Takagi（高木完）and composed by Tomita, "Daijou-bu" is about as reassuring a hammock-friendly pop song as it can be thanks also to a female vocalist that I have yet to identify. No plunderphonics to be found here.
Hello and welcome once more to the AI Gallery. It is indeed a quick comeback to the gallery considering that I had just put up a similar article a few days ago on September 25th. However, due to a busy schedule today (including a lesson tonight), I've only had time to concoct the previous article and then this one which doesn't require a lot of work.
Well, I just checked on J-Wiki, and it's confirmed (to no one's surprise) that NHK's Kohaku Utagassen will be coming onto screens on December 31st this year for its 75th edition. Last year, the top batter was one of the 2023 darlings of the Japanese pop culture world domestically and overseas, Atarashii Gakko no Leaders（新しい学校のリーダーズ）with their "Otonablue"（オトナブルー）. We're still weeks away from finding out who will be on No. 75 (probably won't be announced until mid-November) but Mizyu, Rin, Suzuka and Kanon are to show up in Toronto next Sunday to do a one-night performance at the History venue.
I'm pretty sure that the gang will be performing "Otonablue" along with this track from their June 2024 digital album"AG! Calling", "Omakase" (Leave It To Us). With words and music by the group, yonkey and Yoshio Tamamura, the song might be called a reassurance, temptation or an invitation down a slippery slope. So, when the chips are down, AGL is exhorting folks to give into their vices whether it be shredding voices at karaoke or diving into comfort food with abandon...and worrying about the guilt later. Just as an aside, I've abandoned Pringles chips for a few months now, but it hasn't changed my shape any.😡
The arrangement is interesting as it sounds like a mix of matsuri music and an old-fashioned Keiko Fuji（藤圭子）Mood Kayo given some extra oomph through a techno beat. As for "AG! Calling", it hit No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Download Albums chart. Anyways, I hope those in the neighbourhood who have tickets to the October 6th show, please enjoy yourselves! And as for the group itself, please get to History early since traffic is so horrible in our city.
From Masataka Matsutoya's 1977 album: "Yoru no Tabibito"
"Hong Kong Night Sight" stands out as one of the best night groove songs in this rare solo album by a young Masataka Matsutoya（松任谷正隆）. Along with the sound accompanying the dazzling bright lights of the city, the mild vocals are also a highlight, but for the last half of the song, I think it's endearing that the song ends up tumbling a bit when it gets louder. Yuming's（ユーミン）version can be found in her 1981 "Mizu no Naka no Asia"（水の中のASIAへ）.
The above comes from "Disc Collection Japanese City Pop Revised" (2020).
So far, actress-singer Yumi Takigawa（多岐川裕美）has a short file here on "Kayo Kyoku Plus", but from what I've gleaned from her discography up to this point, she does like her City Pop.
When I first listened to this particular song of hers, "Gozen Rei-ji no Koibito" (12 AM Lovers), I noticed that the source written under the video was her BEST compilation from 1988. There is no way in heck that this tune was created and released in the late 1980s; it sounded more nostalgic than that. And as it turns out, the mellow tune helped along with flugelhorn, Fender and flute was a track on Takigawa's debut album"Sayo"（小夜...Evening） from October 1979. Written by Kohei Oikawa（及川恒平）and composed by Tetsuji Hayashi（林哲司）, this is another sunset cocktail type of City Pop relaxation.
I figured that I could finish this up with a video of any of her commercials since I think she would be very alluring on screen. That she is, but I was taken aback by her promotion of a Tomato and Lemon juice!
Look, the first time I saw this title by Toshiki Kadomatsu（角松敏生）, I could only think of a Disney character in a morose mood.
"Lonely Goofey" (and yes, I realize that the Disney character has a slightly different spelling in his name) is the B-side to Kadomatsu's 3rd single from April 1983, "Sky High". I read the blurb that the song is about a surfer who's down in the dumps so he's hanging ten with a hang-dog expression, so I tried to find out what that second word in the title was referring to. The closest I got was the surfing term goofy-footed which describes a surfer who surfs with their right foot forward; not sure if that is a bad thing or not.
Regardless, this Kadomatsu-penned song has a 1950s doo-wop melody transplanted into a 1980s City Pop/J-AOR arrangement. Kadomatsu came up with this non-album entry from his own images of hitting the waves and dedicated it to his own surfing buddy. The mention of September in his lyrics kinda hints at the possibility of a broken romance. Of course, that's too bad but you can't beat the soulful melody.
There is some cool air wafting into my room and I'm gratefully taking it all in. Summer 2024 is now one for the history books but I think there is still plenty of summer dreaming and enjoyment.
Listening to this Especia song certainly helps. "Twinkle Emotion" is a track from the aidoru group's 1st EP"DULCE" released in November 2012. The release month may not be summery but at least "Twinkle Emotion" feels like a summer party on the beach as created by mirco and Schtein & Longer. There's some of that Neo-City Pop along with the funkiness, and it still feels nice and fresh to me to the extent that I marvel at the fact that the video below is eleven years old!
As I mentioned in a brief postscript in yesterday's article for Kaela Kimura's（木村カエラ）"Rirura Riruha"（リルラ リルハ）, I had compared Kimura and 80s aidoruKyoko Koizumi（小泉今日子）in terms of their cute and cheeky natures only to find out a few hours later that the two of them appeared together on the NHK morning show "Asaichi"（あさイチ）. Kyon-Kyon was the main guest and the hosts invited viewers to send in their favourite songs by the singer-actress. It didn't take long for comedian-actor Takashi Fujii （藤井隆）to fax over his own request: a song called "Fade Out".
I'd never heard of "Fade Out" before but checking Koizumi's discography on J-Wiki, I discovered that it had been her 27th single from May 1989, released half a year before her rendition of the Finger 5 hit "Gakuen Tengoku" (学園天国）which was actually the very first single that I had ever bought of the singer. Her cover of the song kept me thinking of her old aidoru image.
So it was a tad surprising when I first heard "Fade Out" yesterday which was definitely not within my usual comfort zone of Kyon-Kyonaidoru-dom. Apparently, the song was produced when through mutual friends and acquaintances, the singer and off-the-beaten-path musician/producer Haruo Chikada (近田春夫) had met up at a Harajuku café with the former confessing an admiration for his compositions including those for the band Juicy Fruits. She asked him whether he could make a song for her and his reply was "Well, I'm only interested in 4/4 house right now, so if that's okay with you, then I'll do it". She said in turn "DONE!"👍
And so "Fade Out" rushed in with a kayo kyoku-esque melody given the acid house treatment. The song was written, composed and arranged by Chikada, and hearing it was interesting, realizing that this dance-clubby tune had come before the karaoke-friendly and Kyon-Kyon-esque"Gakuen Tengoku". I was half-expecting Bobby Brown's or even Whitney Houston's backing dancers to assist Koizumi. Also, what distinguished "Fade Out" from some of her other hits was that the singer's delivery was more mature and sultrier compared to the usual chirpiness that I'd heard before.
Not sure where the music video was filmed but I'm guessing Hong Kong. The Koizumi/Chikada collaboration was a successful one because "Fade Out" reached No. 2 on Oricon and later became the 91st-ranked single of the year. In fact, both Koizumi and Chikada extended their cooperation to the former's 14th album"Koizumi in the House", also from May 1989, and it truly was an album devoted to Koizumi and house music. It went up to No. 9.
Recently, I saw an episode of "Tsurube Kazoku ni Kanpai"（鶴瓶の家族に乾杯...Tsurube's Here's to the Family）, an NHK onsite variety show where rakugo artist and comedian Tsurube Shofukutei（笑福亭鶴瓶） and a guest visit some of the smaller towns and villages in Japan. The two then simply talk with the folks there and visit some of those folks' recommendations in terms of restaurants and shops, and if so inclined, Tsurube and guest can even entertain the populace, too.
That one episode featured singer-songwriter Kaela Kimura（木村カエラ）and she stated off-handedly that her son is now in high school which kinda threw me for a loop. It shouldn't have but it did because I'd always seen Kimura as the 2000s version of 80s aidoru Kyoko Koizumi（小泉今日子）: a cute and cheeky kid with a lovely smile who could potentially cut you down with a sharp riposte. Of course, we're now older people in the 2020s and most likely, Kimura's kid is probably now armed with his own slicing bon mots. (P.S. It's quite ironically coincidental then that both Kimura and Koizumi appeared together on the September 27th episode of "Asaichi"（あさイチ）a few hours ago.)
I believe she was all of twenty years of age when she released her 3rd major single"Rirura Riruha" in March 2005. I could never remember the title for Kimura's biggest hit to date because of its weirdness, only to find out that it's an abbreviation of sorts for "Real Life Real Heart". What I do remember is the music video attached to the song which brings in a few effects such as the stop motion animation that had put Peter Gabriel's"Sledgehammer" onto the map.
But as it is, "Rirura Riruha" is a pretty melodic rock tune with those buzzy guitar chords underlying Kimura's high but strong vocals. It's the type of song that I think Avril Lavigne could have covered. The song peaked at No. 3 on Oricon, becoming a million-seller. It eventually became the 87th-ranked single for 2005. The song is also a track on her March 2006 2nd album"Circle".
Dang! This song really gets funky considering that it has nothing to do with the cops or any street-level shenanigans in Shinjuku. "Hana no Joshikou Kazoe Uta" (Flower Girls' High School Counting Song) is the first single for late-70saidoru Chieko Tani（谷ちえ子）which was released in June 1977. It's all about a teenaged girl who's grumbling in envy about specific classmates and then entire grades getting to enjoy the metropolitan life out there while she herself has to be the good girl stuck in the library. With that funky melody by Taiji Nakamura（中村泰士）which was then massaged by arranger Shunichi Makaino（馬飼野俊一）, I'd probably think that the heroine was also thinking about hitting the mean streets herself. Shinichi Ishihara（石原信一）took care of the lyrics.
Tani, whose real name is Chieko Sasaya（笹谷智恵子）, hails from Hokkaido and made her appearance on the NTV audition show "Star wa Tanjo!"（スター誕生!）. Including "Hana no Joshikou Kazoe Uta", she released four singles and one album up to the middle of 1978. She basically retired after that, but in 2012, when she held a reunion concert, she started up her singing career again with four more singles up to 2020. The singer also has experience in Japanese dance and min'yo, and her favourite singers are Shinichi Mori（森進一）, Sayuri Ishikawa（石川さゆり）and Tanya Tucker.
Welcome once more to Reminiscings of Youth. This week's article will be taking a slightly more circuitous route, so please bear with me.
Recently, I encountered a music video I hadn't seen in some time and it was The Avalanches'"Frontier Psychiatrist" from 2000. The Australian electronic music band specializes in plunderphonics which has samples of other songs woven together to make a totally new and hopefully very listenable song. "Frontier Psychiatrist" is one of The Avalanches' hits which brings in among other things snippets of a comedy routine by Wayne & Shuster, one of Canada's premier duos from way back. The video is something that a particularly imaginative psychiatric patient would come up with, and I would advise keeping a strong libation on hand when watching this one.
Liking the cut of their jib, I began looking for some more Avalanches fare and so I came across something that had been created by them years later in 2013 which was a remix of Australian rock band Hunters and Collectors' 1982 debut single, "Talking to a Stranger", cheekily retitled "Stalking to a Stranger". The original song and music video were already intriguing enough as something rather art rock but then The Avalanches injected some old-fashioned disco into the earthy and growly rock to make something that sounded and looked just as comfortable in Manhattan's Studio 54 as it did on the Outback (the Australian interior region, not the restaurant).
That injection turned out to be Dan Hartman's"Relight My Fire" from 1979, near the end of the disco era. I know that by this time, the whole "Disco Sucks" movement was pretty much on fire as the title but the song still sounds like those strings, horns and dancers were enjoying the time of their lives on the dance floor. And it still managed to hit No. 1 on Billboard's Dance/Club Play chart in December that year. Hartman was joined by Loleatta Holloway on the vocals, and there are apparently a number of different remixes.
I barely remember hearing it as a kid, and part of the reason that I have opted to cover "Relight My Fire" was that it wasn't something that I recall hearing in its entirety aside from that dynamic intro, perhaps not even through K-Tel record compilation commercials on TV. The instrumental version was used in a number of other ways including on NBC's late-night show "Tomorrow Coast to Coast". Most likely, I heard it on sports broadcasts since I recall that they enjoyed injecting some disco as background music.
Considering that "Relight My Fire" was hitting high on that dance chart in mid-December, let's go with what was hitting the Oricon chart for that month in 1979 (specifically December 3rd). I give you Nos. 2, 3 and 4.
If the name Takanori Hiura（日浦孝則）sparks a memory engram, then perhaps you're a fan of the 90s duo class which had its big hit with "Natsu no Hi no 1993"（夏の日の1993）. The singer-songwriter was a partner with the late Katsuyuki Tsukui（津久井克行）.
According to his J-Wiki article, Hiura was born and raised on a tiny island (population of only 500 people at the time) off of Hiroshima Prefecture which now has a bridge connecting the two land masses. Getting into folk music as a child, he became a fan of Takuro Yoshida（吉田拓郎）and emulated his style after he'd gotten his own guitar.
Years before class, Hiura started his solo career in 1987 with the single "Slow Dance"（スロウダンス）. Then in February 1988, he released his second single"Kimi yo Kirei ni Nare" (Hey, You! Be Beautiful). Written by Ren Takayanagi（高柳恋）and composed by Takumi Yamamoto（山本拓己）, the title might come across as being a tad aggressive but the melody is a very soft and comfy creation. I'm sure that the protagonist and Hiura himself have the best of intentions.
Once again, we have another Hump Day and for me, it's been one of the humpier days this year. So, perhaps I could use with something a little soothing to start off this KKP day.
Back in August, I found out about this guitar-slinging singer-songwriter by the name of Ai Tomioka（冨岡愛）who's had a bit of an international background. I enjoyed her September 2023 5th single"Good bye-bye"（グッバイバイ）, and I wanted to see what else she's been doing. Well, her preceding 4th single "Present" has also been quite fine. Different from the country ballad of "Good bye-bye", "Present" from August 2022 is more of a 70s gospel soul-tinged mid-tempo pop number. It's very pleasant and the only problem with it is that it's a tad short at less than 3 1/2 minutes.
Tomoko Soryo（惣領智子）may have started becoming more well known with the City Pop boom worldwide in the late 2010s and certainly on this blog, her material covered has been along those urban contemporary lines. However, I did find one song by her recently which has nothing to do with skyscrapers and cocktail-serving bars.
In fact, I'd say that her July 1978 single"Owari no nai Uta" (A Song with No End) is more like a breath of cold and refreshing country air. Written by Kohei Oikawa（及川恒平）and composed/arranged by her then-husband Yasunori Soryo（惣領泰則）is a proud folksy ballad that brings to mind some of those grand love songs by female singers that I used to hear on AM radio when I was an elementary school kid. Not sure if it had ever been used for a commercial, but if it had been used for an ad, I could imagine it being for a car driving those long distances in the countryside. As it is, though, "Owari no nai Uta" was Soryo's biggest hit as a solo singer, peaking at No. 21 on Oricon.
2024 is the 60th anniversary of legendary entertainer Hiroshi Itsuki's（五木ひろし）career in show business and perhaps he's been doing a lot of reminiscing over those six decades including those early pay-one's-dues years. The original Kazuo Matsuyama（松山数夫）from Fukui Prefecture went through a number of stage name changes and several years of struggle before the turn of the decade into the 1970s and one more switch of his name to Hiroshi Itsuki and perhaps one more chance to strike it big.
And the newly-minted Itsuki did strike it big with his first single under that name and his eleventh overall, the classic "Yokohama Tasogare"（よこはま・たそがれ）from March 1971, which has become one of the most famous go-touchi songs for the international port.
But of course, in addition to "Yokohama Tasogare", there was a B-side which was also written by Yoko Yamaguchi（山口洋子）and composed by Masaaki Hirao（平尾昌晃）. "Otoko ga Naku Toki"(When a Man Cries) is an enka/Mood Kayo tune which seems to take things from Yokohama into the darker side streets of Shinjuku, Tokyo just because the arrangement by Koji Ryuzaki（竜崎孝路）makes me think that this is the sort of kayo kyoku thatKeiko Fuji（藤圭子）sang. It's very bluesy and introspective and draws a picture of ambling through neighbourhoods such as Kabukicho without any particular destination in mind. Perhaps the protagonist in "Otoko ga Naku Toki" is in a very down mood, and perhaps just before the time that the single was released, Itsuki had been on the verge of some tears himself over how his career would go. However, after its release, the rest was history.
Not sure if I ever mentioned this thing about haikyo（廃墟）which refers to the abandoned ruins or remains of a building or town. Perhaps it doesn't get any attention in the West but apparently in Japan, there are websites devoted to these eerie decrepit places that were once bustling structures and folks even try to explore them like the Scooby Gang at a haunted house. I once even sent a link of one of these sites to a student of mine who had first told me about haikyo only for him to ask me politely not to send any more links since this particular one was creeping him out.
Anyways, the above example of haikyo is what was once Nio Sunshine Land（仁尾サンシャインランド）, an amusement park in Kagawa Prefecture which had its time between 1984 and 1995 following its predecessor, the Nio Sun Exposition（仁尾太陽博）which ran between 1981 and 1983. From what other information I've read in its J-Wiki article, even what's showing in the YouTube video above has been completely cleared from existence.
But let's go back to rosier times, shall we? Singer and voice actress Noriko Hidaka（日髙のり子）had just begun her career as an aidoru with a January 1980 single under her real name of Noriko Ito（いとうのりこ）, but then with her 2nd single, she took on the stage name of Hidaka. That sophomore single was "Hatsukoi Sunshine" (First Love Sunshine) which was released later that year in December.
From the whimsical melody by Koichi Sugiyama（すぎやまこういち）, and yes it's the same guy behind the iconic "Dragon Quest" soundtrack, I was going to think that "Hatsukoi Sunshine" was a theme song for some shojo anime. However, it was actually the image song for the aforementioned Nio Sun Exposition. Fumiko Okada（岡田冨美子）was the lyricist for a story for falling heads-over-heels under a blazing sun and blue sky. Well, it's kinda too bad that the amusement park has gone to that architectural ash heap but we still have a musical reminder of what was. Ah, by the way, the audio tends to skip a couple of times.
As we start the first full week of fall, I found out from our local Weather Network station that Toronto had gone through 11 straight days without any precipitation which is apparently the longest streak for this year. I figured that we were rather dry for a fair bit but all that was nullified this morning when it looked rather damp out there. Things are looking even wetter for Tuesday and Wednesday.
I've written about singer-songwriter and saxophonist Kaori Kuno（久野かおり）a number of times on the blog in the past as an artist who enjoys the lighter side of pop. I managed to find a song by her titled "Amayadori" (Shelter from the Rain) which was the first track on her 1996 album"Anata wo Mitsumete"（あなたを見つめて...Looking For You）. All these years, I've only known her from her voice and noble visage on the CD albums I've bought of her, so it was with some surprise that she actually had a music video of "Amayadori". She doesn't wield her saxophone here but it's a pleasant song about a couple trying to make amends within the atmosphere of searching for solace from a rainstorm. There's also some nice Latin guitar interwoven with the synthesizer melody.
It didn't happen often since most nights I was able to get home by the Tokyo Metro fairly easily and early enough, especially when the powers-that-be finally allowed the trains and subways to extend their ending times a bit further past midnight. What I'm talking about is whenever I did miss that final Tozai Line subway back to Chiba Prefecture. The last couple of trains around the witching hour tended to only go as far as Toyocho Station（東陽町駅）in Koto Ward, Tokyo, which is several stations away from my station, Minami-Gyotoku（南行徳駅）in Ichikawa City.
So, that means when I missed that third-last Tozai train, I was kinda screwed...or I was going to be out several thousand yen because my only choice around midnight was the taxi. Not surprisingly, there were a lot of other commuters who were heading home late as well so there would be a long beeline of folks waiting patiently for that cab outside of Toyocho Station. Meanwhile, there was always some suspicious guy in a dark coat inquiring up and down the line whether they would be willing to take that "private" taxi home. It wasn't part of the regulated chains and it was always the case that the driver would charge a whole lot more yen for the ride home, but usually that was about the worst of the damage...just to one's wallet. I never got that desperate...but it was still about 4,500 to 5,000 yen for a regular taxi to my neck of the woods from Toyocho.
Anyways, my preamble ramble is for this lovely and elegant ballad, "Taxi wa Konai"(The Taxi Won't Come) by Ruika Kurahashi（倉橋ルイ華）. Yep, you read it correctly and this isn't a misspelling on my part for those relatively new Ruiko Kurahashi（倉橋ルイ子）fans. For some odd reason, when her December 1987 album"Sailing ~ Kyou yori Eien ni"（今日より永遠に...From Today to Eternity） was released, it was decided that the given name of her stage name would get a swap out of that final vowel from "o" to "a". That little bit of phonetic weirdness was rectified by her next album, though.
In any case, "Taxi wa Konai" is the type of urban sophisticated balladry that Kurahashi could bat out of the ballpark like Shohei Otani（大谷翔平）. Maybe the lass would take a regular cab home but she herself would be dripping in fur coat and jewelry and Chanel No. 5. While Kumiko Yoshizawa（吉澤久美子）took care of the lyrics, Issei Okamoto（岡本一生）, under his current name of Akira Okamoto（岡本朗）, was the composer of the music that sounded downright nocturnal Parisian with the piano rhythm and then those strings. As I said, this is quintessential Kurahashi, whether she be Ruiko or Ruika.
As the Kyoku sisters and Mr. Calico are enjoying their walk through a gold-and-orange forest, autumn did arrive officially here at 8:44 am Eastern Daylight Time this morning. I had my own 40-minute walk running an errand and though it was overcast then (nice and brilliant as I type this now), it's been cool outside but without that slightly frosty snap in the air. I'm sure the cold tang will come in soon enough though.
I was looking for an autumn-themed song to start my own contribution to "Kayo Kyoku Plus" today and one song that came out at me was Masahiro Kuwana's（桑名正博）"Tsuki no Akari" (Light of the Moon). This was the late singer-songwriter's 14th and final single from November 1988, and it's good old-fashioned rock-and-roll ballad about a guy who's leaving town and the woman he loves (or loved). He keeps on telling her that he's just taking off for a while but the feeling is that he's trying (and probably failing) to reassure her that he'll be back someday.
Despite the sad lyrics by Itsuro Shimoda（下田逸郎）, Kuwana's melody and Fujimal Yoshino's（芳野藤丸） arrangement of said melody make for a wonderfully nostalgic musical experience especially with the solos of the guitar and the brassy bluesy saxophone. And the fact that this would be Kuwana's final single brings further poignancy, although he wouldn't pass away until many years later in 2012. As for the autumnal element, there is nothing overtly seasonal stated but I can imagine that the theme of romantic breakup and the mention of the moon are somewhat subtle hints.
Donna kurou mo sugita nara (No matter the hardship, once passed)
Same, Hachi, same.
The word "Enka" in reference to the Japanese pop music genre is usually written as "演歌" and sometimes written as "艶歌" in this current day and age. But there are many other ways "Enka" can be written. After all, there is a huge variety of kanji characters read as "en." Inserting various "en" ideographs to write enka suggests that this (enka) song is of a theme and style fitting of the "en" used, while also showcasing that enka can mean different things for different people. Perhaps one of the most well-known "en"ka variants is "怨歌," originating from author Itsuki Hiroyuki (五木寛之), emphasizing enka being an expression of human pain and anguish. But, on the other end of the spectrum is "援歌," coming from lyricist Hoshino Tetsuro (星野哲郎), that shows that enka can also be a music that encourages people.
Warai-banashi ni kawaru mono (They will turn into funny stories)
Hachiro Kasuga (春日八郎) has sung many an "援歌," a few of them helping me to push forth in my endeavors. I would say that one of these enka-ragement songs is "Kore ga Jinsei" (This is Life).
“Kore ga Jinsei” is the first in the video. I also recommend no.5, “Tokyo no Yamabiko”.
"Kore ga Jinsei" was released on July 1964*, and was written by Hiroshi Yokoi (横井弘) and composed by Tadaharu Nakano (中野忠晴). Looking at Nakano’s postwar discography, I believe this was the last song Nakano wrote for Hachi, and I must say, it’s quite the last piece.
Sake ni omoide nomi hoshite (Drink up the wine with the memories)
I came across “Kore ga Jinsei” quite by accident while I was doing some data collection for one of my school-related Hachi projects. It was one of those random medleys I’d chosen to lock distracted and scatterbrained me into doing work while also covering more of Kasuga’s discography I hadn’t yet come across. It was the first song in the video, I was in the extra silent library. The first robust blast of trumpets woke me up. Thanks, Mr. Nakano (?)
Asu no kibo wo utau no da (And sing of the hopes of tomorrow)
To describe Mr. Nakano’s score in a sentence, it’s a koshinkyoku march plus anthem. Giving "Kore ga Jinsei" a grand and triumphant air are the loud and proud wind instruments, the rolling snare drum, and booming bass (?) drum. Admittedly, when I look at just the title, "Kore ga Jinsei" feels like it could be a wistful, "Well, that's life, innit?" sort where the main character hangs their head low in resignation. But, no. Nakano's score screams, "Yes, this is life! Make the most of it with your head held high!" A passionate ode to life. Hearing it just gets the blood pumping - indeed, it fired me up to do the work I'd been beginning to find tedious.
Yokoi's words essentially articulate what the melody seems to be getting at, or vice versa. His lyrics are on the poetic side of things, but they essentially have Hachi singing: Yes, there may be distractions and very hard times, but take them in stride and in your own time; there is hope and the bad times will eventually pass, and you'll come out of it just fine. On a whole, it's a very inspiring and enka-raging song
The summer wind, and the celebratory wine of thirty years of joy and sorrow From "Mikasa" 1971/5/1 Special Issue
If you've noticed, I have written out how I understand "Kore ga Jinsei" in a manner akin to the songwriters and singer physically articulating the song's message. This is because that is exactly how I listen to the song. Sometimes, I want to do many things and prove myself. Often times, I wish I could do better and I become down when I fail to meet my own expectations, especially as of late. But when I hear this song, I feel like I can continue to push forward, one step at a time. I suppose this is what an 援歌 is meant to do. A song that encourages. And I am happy that one of the 援歌 that's playing a big part in my life currently was made by two of my favourite fellas. (´；ω；`)
P.S. Because I am nitpicky and like to complicate things, I am personally reluctant to label "Kore ga Jinsei" as an enka song in the traditional sense. It was made even before the genre truly existed and doesn't feel/sound like the stereotypical enka from the 1970s onwards. I would actually consider it an uplifting kayokyoku than enka. BUT, because of what it is, it is essentially a (人生の応)援歌, so I would just call it an enka in the "encouraging song" sense. Also because that fits with the theme I was trying to go for. Please excuse my convoluted kayokyoku vs enka rambles.
* 4 different sources gave me 3 different dates of release: June, July, and August. Since of these resources is from Hachi's museum and it says July 1964, we shall go with that.
Y'know...I'm just a few weeks shy of twelve years since I first posted singer-songwriter Hiroshi Madoka's（円広志）"Musoubana"（夢想花）, the song whose chorus encourages everyone to fly nine times. Once you hear it, you never quite forget it.
Well, a couple of years after that hit debut single, Madoka released his 4th single "Musician" in April 1980. In a way, I guess it's kinda like his tribute to the hard-working musician out there in the same way that Billy Joel gave his kudos to the piano man working for his fee and tips. With words and music by the singer and then arrangement by Motoki Funayama（船山基紀）, it has that nostalgic feeling of a typical Japanese pop ballad in those late 70s and early 80s with the wailing electric guitar and silky strings. Plus, it starts off with a fairly frenetic Spanish guitar before Madoka sets the languid tone.
The first time I'd ever encountered the late adult video actress-turned-TV personality, author and activist Ai Iijima（飯島愛）was through a strange source. She was part of a punchline in the late-night Friday program "Tamori Club" whose "Soramimi Hour" segment presented so-called misheard and hilarious Japanese phrases from otherwise normal lyrics of Western pop and rock songs.
Then, from her career in adult videos in the early 1990s, Iijima started becoming known through a late-night TV show called "Gilgamesh Night" and other programs. One thing that gained her further fame was wearing a G-string or thong on some of those shows. But then over the next decade, she began appearing on more mainstream programming including quiz shows and panel discussions, and the impression is that she didn't hold back on her opinions on anything. She became such a regular household word on television that many ended up not being aware that she'd been once in the porn industry.
Being in Japan at the time, I hadn't been aware that Iijima had decided to retire from show business in early 2007, but I remembered watching the shocking breaking news of her sudden death at the age of 36 in December 2008. I learned that she'd been having some health issues which spurred on her decision to leave the geinokai and the official cause of her death was pneumonia.
A commenter asked me about Iijima (so I put up this article) a few days ago, and although I hadn't known about any of her short discography, I wasn't surprised that she did cut a few songs since the unwritten rule about being in Japanese show business had once been that if one reaches a certain level of fame, then that person has to record some songs...singing talent (or lack of it) be damned.
"Dear Joshi Kousei"(Dear Female High School Students) was the last of five singles that she released in the early-to-mid 1990s. Coming out in October 1994, the lyrics by Iijima herself and Yuuhei Mizuno（水野有平）have her doing a pretty nice performance of asking those errant high school kids not to steal her boyfriend while he's working part-time at a nightclub. Mizuno was also responsible for the music which is some slick 90s City Pop (with a bit of disco here and a bit of Doobie Bros there). The arrangement reminds me of Kanako Wada's（和田加奈子）late 1980s song "Tanjoubi wa Minus Ichi" (誕生日はマイナス1）.
All in all, I think Iijima is taking the news of any romantic malfeasance remarkably well. By the way, the lass actually isn't the first hardcore porn actress to appear in the pages of "Kayo Kyoku Plus". Have a look here.
"Hoho ni Yoru no Akari" is the quintessential twilight-loving Minako Yoshida（吉田美奈子）song with its splendid hues and first-rate mellow groove. The horn and string parts had been recorded in New York City and the performance includes David Sanborn's wonderful sax solo, so in a blink of an eye, I'm transported to a flight going over to the Big Apple. To have that lady look at me with those unusually kind eyes while on a street enveloped by the sunset is a truly attractive moment.
The above comes from "Disc Collection Japanese City Pop Revised"(2020).
One of my earliest articles on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" was vocal group Circus'（サーカス）"Mr. Summertime"（Mr.サマータイム）, their March 1978 hit 2nd single which was a cover of Michel Fugain's"Une Belle Histoire" from 1972. It's been a song that has stayed with me for so long because it was one of the first Japanese pop songs to adhere to my brain when I got started into enjoying kayo kyoku in the early 1980s. It has swing, class and any adjective I would add to anything that is in the sophisticated pop vein.
Well, a dozen years following that article, I'm finally putting up that B-side from the No. 1-hitting "Mr. Summertime". "Day Dreaming" is an appropriately breezy and classy tune that's pretty much a cousin to the A-side. This time, though, it isn't a cover of a French song but a homegrown tune. Machiko Ryu（竜真知子） was the lyricist while Junko Hirotani（広谷順子）took care of the basic melody with arranger Mitsuo Hagita（萩田光雄）taking care of everything else. Put some of this between your headphones and ears for pure listening pleasure.
Wow! I thought that this recording by YouTube channel City Pop Tokyo was so clean and new that I assumed it was an updated and slightly Vaporwave version of the original song. The video image as the song is playing certainly lends to that assumption.
But much to my delight and surprise, this is the original "Lazy Dance", a track from Yoko Oginome's（荻野目洋子） 4th original album"Raspberry no Kaze"（ラズベリーの風...Raspberry Wind） which first hit the record store shelves in April 1986. The album also shares space with Oginome's most famous hit, an English version of "Dancing Hero".
What can I say about it? Oginome was still seen as the danceable aidoru of the mid-1980s, but with "Lazy Dance" (which isn't lazy at all), I pick up not only on the City Pop, but also some Omega Tribe（オメガトライブ）feeling, 70s disco horns, good ol' funk, keyboards that had me thinking Vaporwave in the first place, and even some George Benson on the guitar noodling. It's perhaps Roppongi and Shinjuku of the 1980s all rolled up into one tune. And yet, "Lazy Dance", which is about all of the mind games and insecurity on the dance floor, didn't have Tetsuji Hayashi（林哲司）anywhere near the song. It was in fact composed by R&B singer Toshinobu Kubota（久保田利伸）with Masumi Kawamura（川村真澄）on lyrics and Nobuyuki Shimizu（清水信之）as the arranger.
As for "Raspberry no Kaze", it peaked at No. 8 on Oricon.
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